But the book also boasts a fascinating visual history of the black gay pioneer who is credited as the architect of the 1963 civil rights march. Take a look at a sample of photographs of Bayard in his youth and throughout his years of activism.

Rustin on the high school football team, 1931. Courtesy Bayard Rustin Estate.

A moment of relaxation in the early 1940s. Courtesy Bayard Rustin Estate.

With the March on Washington less than a month away, Rustin poses in front of the National Headquarters office on West 130th Street, New York City, August 1, 1963. Photo: Associated Press/Wide World.

The triumphant Life magazine cover, crediting A. Philip Randolph and Rustin as the leaders of the March on Washington. Courtesy Bayard Rustin Estate.

Rustin and author James Baldwin calling on President Kennedy to send troops into Alabama to “break the hold” of segregationist Gov. George Wallace. The armbands pictured were worn to protest the murder of African-American children in Birmingham, September 1963. Photo: Associated Press/Wide World.